This was originally posted on another blog of mine (Simplicity — Small & Cheap). I consolidated all blogs to simplify my life. – Jen 6/19/09
What does one do when they get a two pound bag of key limes (which, if you’ve never seen one, are the size of a bouncy ball that you get in vending machines outside of grocery stores)? You make limeade! Sounds like a pun, but seriously! Most recipes that call for limes use 1 Tablespoon to 1/8 c. That’s like 2-7 limes. Two pounds of limes is like 30 of them (that’s a guess–I have not counted the lime carcasses covering my counter. I don’t have room on my butt for 10 batches of lime bars and white chocolate lime cupcakes.
First, my tips for juicing key limes. Roll them on the counter to break up the membranes inside (got that tip from AB). Cut them in half between the “tips”. If you cut the other way, you will hit major membranes. Try it, you’ll see what I mean — I didn’t take pics of that part, sorry. Squeeze them and then flip them inside out to ensure you break all the membranes and get the most possible juice out of them. Do this over a tray that can catch ALL the juice because even if you do this over a measuring cup you will lose precious drops of juice. When you do this All. Morning. Long. and see a puddle of juice on the counter…well that’s a little annoying.
So anyway, on to the recipes…
Limeade (from Cooking For Engineers)
- 1 c lime juice
- 1-1/2 c sugar
- 1-1/2 c water
I will summarize for you since I screwed it up because, as a non-engineer, I didn’t understand her notation at the bottom.
Make a simple syrup from the water and sugar by heating the two until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add lime juice (that’s where I screwed up–I added the lime juice while heating).
Makes 3 cups of concentrate.
To make the limeade, add 1 c concentrate to 3 c water. Drink. Repeat.
I also made Lime Bars (from About.com)
Bottom Layer:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine
Top Layer:
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice (approximately 1 large lime)
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lime zest (optional)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 to 5 drops green food coloring (optional, but they look like lemon bars without it 🙂 )
Directions:
Bottom –
Mix together flour & powdered sugar. Cut in butter until well combined. Press mixture into a 8×8 pan and bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. While the crust is cooking, prepare the topping.
Top –
Break the eggs and beat slightly. Add the lime juice, zest, sugar, flour and food coloring if you are using it. Mix well and pour over hot crust and put back in the oven for approximately 20-25 more minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Makes 9 bars.
And finally, the coup de grace, White Chocolate Key Lime Muffins, also from About.com.
For the cupcakes (super sweet!):
- 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1-1/2 teaspoons grated key lime zest
- 1 Tablespoon fresh key lime juice
- 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
For the glaze (nice and tart!):
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/8 cup fresh key lime juice
Directions:
Fill muffin cups with foil liners. Don’t skip this, trust me. The white chocolate chips kind of settle to the bottom and don’t come out very well. You end up with lots of lopsided muffins and yummies to eat out of the pan.
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
In a seperate mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, juice and zest, mixing well.
Into the butter-cream mixture in the large bowl, add 1/3 of the flour mixture, stirring until combined. Add one-third of the buttermilk, stirring until combined. Continue alternating one-third of each until all is mixed well. Fold in white chocolate chips.
Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and put in a 350 oven for 18 – 20 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean.
Makes 12 -18 cupcakes.
While the cupcakes are baking, wisk together powdered sugar and lime juice. After the cupcakes are done baking, poke pencil-sized holes (or smaller) in the top of each muffin and pour the glaze over the top and into the hole. Cool completely.
Eat. Repeat!